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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ASH

I gazed out the window, barely registering the glittering city lights stretching beneath us. The night was clear, the view pristine as we climbed to cruising altitude. Aria’s voice hummed in the background, running through the itinerary for the days ahead, but my mind kept slipping elsewhere. It was just the two of us on the plane tonight, and though tomorrow promised to be grueling, my thoughts were far from work.

“Ari, can we go over it later? We’ve got nothing but time,” I said, cutting her off mid-sentence.

She stopped and looked at me, her sharp gaze scanning my face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m dandy,” I replied with a faint smile, though we both knew it didn’t reach my eyes. Her expression didn’t shift, unconvinced. I sighed deeply and turned back to the window.

It was official: Oliver was starting in two weeks. The announcement had been made, the articles written, the photos taken. The prodigal son had joined the fold at last, and my father couldn’t have looked more pleased. That expression of triumph on his face still made me want to gag. Even with Oliver sticking close, offering his quiet support, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being blindsided. I didn’t want to hold it against him—he didn’t deserve that—but the resentment simmered just under the surface, impossible to ignore.

“I’m getting you a drink,” Aria declared suddenly, rising from her seat.

I chuckled softly, grateful for the reprieve. When she returned, she handed me a glass, filled generously.

“You should have one too.”

She smirked, holding up her own drink in response. “I came into this company to work for you, Sebastian.”

I hummed. “You don’t have to coddle me, Ari. It’s not part of your job description.”

She raised a brow. “I do plenty of things that aren’t in my job description.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Speaking of which, I need you to do something for me.”

“Go on.” She reached for her tablet, always ready.

“This is extremely off the books, Ari,” I said, glancing at her pointedly. She took another sip and waited. “I need you to forward my travel plans to someone.”

A flicker of surprise crossed her face, her lips curving into a curious smile. “Someone outside of work or family?”

“Well,” I considered, “not exactly.”

Her brows furrowed as she waited for clarification.

I took a sip of my drink, bracing myself. “Ethan Bennett.”

Her expression shifted to one of shock. “Who’s Ethan Bennett?”

“Charlotte Bennett’s brother,” I replied, watching the realization dawn in her eyes.

Her jaw dropped. “Sebastian, what?”

I smirked. “Didn’t think I could still leave you speechless.”

“That’s whom you’ve been seeing?”

“So you understand why this is very confidential.”

“Of course,” she muttered, though her frown deepened as she pieced things together.

“He’s nineteen, in case you’re wondering,” I added, noting the flush creeping up her neck. That struck the nerve I knew it would.

“And he’s your…what?”

I grinned, resting my chin on my fist. “My brother-in-law.”

She shot me a sardonic look. “Sebastian Langley, the only people you’ve ever asked me to forward travel plans to are your brothers. Not even your father.”

I shrugged, unbothered. “He’s demanding. Got upset when I told him I wasn’t sure when I’d be back.”

Her eyes widened, and I laughed at her reaction.

“You can’t be serious about this.”

“I’m not,” I admitted. “It’s just until the wedding.”

“Why? Because you’ll be family after, and that’s the one taboo you won’t touch?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Because I promised Oli I wouldn’t,” I clarified.

“Yet here you are. Doing it.”

“I tried to quit. He didn’t let me.”

Her disbelief was almost comical. “He didn’t let you? Since when do you care about that?”

I pressed my lips together, trying to suppress a smile.

Ethan was unlike anyone I’d ever been with. I wasn’t used to being challenged. I wasn’t used to resistance. Most men in my orbit yielded without question, and those who didn’t simply faded away. But Ethan? Ethan pushed back, and I found myself hungry for more every time he did.

From the outside, you’d see a polite, well-mannered young man. But beneath the surface, his personality rippled, restless and ready to wreak havoc. It was exhilarating—and utterly addictive.

Aria rubbed her temples. “I thought work was the reason why you weren’t giving me any trouble with the public scene. Now it turns out it was way worse.”

I looked out at the horizon again. “No need to be so alarmed, Ari. It’s just a harmless fling. It’ll be over before you know it, and you can go back to managing the same old things.” I took another sip of my drink, the bitterness of my words settling in the back of my throat. The last thing I wanted to think about right now was giving him up.

“What exactly do you need me to do now?”

“I’ll send you his number. Just keep him updated when I’m coming in and out of New York.”

“Do you want me to give him specific flight details?”

I considered it for a moment. He’d probably appreciate that—it’d give him a sense of control. Smiling to myself, I replied, “Yes.”

Aria let out a long-suffering sigh.

“What?”

“That last gift you had me send was for him, wasn’t it?” she asked.

I bit back a laugh. “Yes,” I said, turning to her.

“When before the wedding, exactly? I’m going to have to take up meditating if I have to cover this up,” she muttered, rolling her eyes as she finished her drink.

“The week before. Don’t worry too much, Ari. I think you’re going to like him too,” I said.

Her eyebrow arched. “I’d say we probably won’t have much common ground to connect over, but clearly, you did.”

“Just try to have a chat with him.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why?”

“Because he’s unexpected, and I think you’ll find that as entertaining as I do.”

Her puzzled expression lingered as I leaned back in my seat, my gaze drifting out the window. Ever since meeting Ethan, I’d been off my game. And honestly, I didn’t hate it. Not one bit. I couldn’t predict a single move he made.

Our last night together had been a goldmine for understanding what went on inside his conflicting head—from the damn haircut to him asking me to stay the night. I still left at six, scandalizing his roommate on the way out, but Ethan had walked me to the door.

When I thought he’d shy away from kissing me goodbye, he’d surprised me. Tangling his hands in my hair, he’d pulled me into a kiss so deep it felt like he was trying to store it for later. I almost dragged him back to his room.

He really wanted this, wanted me . Ethan’s resistance wasn’t about trust—not having the upper hand threw him off almost as much as it did me. He gave the impression of being easygoing, but in reality, he was anything but.

That was only one piece of the puzzle. There was still so much about him I hadn’t discovered yet.

“When are we getting back?” I asked Ari, feeling some of Ethan’s restlessness rubbing off on me.

“Twelve days.”

I sighed deeply. That was longer than I’d thought, especially with the damn clock ticking away at our time together. “And we leave again?”

“You have two days before we head to Sonoma.”

“When’s the Fernandez meeting?”

She checked her tablet. “End of July. You’re staying for ten days.”

I hummed. “Be sure to let Ethan know about that too.”

She nodded reluctantly. “Sebastian, can I say something as a friend and not your assistant?”

“Of course.”

“This is a lot you’re putting on the line. Oliver’s here now, and I’m not sure if you’ve given much thought to what would happen if this got out.”

I gave her a wan smile. “Trust me, I have.”

“Oliver asked you not to, and even if he hadn’t, you know him. He doesn’t have the stomach for these things, and that’s his wife’s little brother. If this got out, your dad would be furious, and so would the board. But the worst part of it all is he would turn on you. Oliver would turn on you, Ash. He wouldn’t support you through this. You’re drawing a line between your brothers over a fling .”

She wasn’t wrong. That same thought had been circling in my head all along. I’d tried to resist Ethan when we’d talked on the phone that night, but my desire had won.

The truth was, I didn’t want to deny myself this. I knew the consequences, but I couldn’t hold myself back. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wanted something to be mine—over the company, over our father, over them.

It was liberating in ways I hadn’t realized I craved.

It also made me feel incredibly guilty, because they were always supposed to come first. Oli and Henny always came first.

“You’re smarter than this,” she said, her voice softer now. “It feels like…”

“Go on.”

She hesitated. “It feels like you’re doing it on purpose.”

A stone dropped in my stomach because…wasn’t I?

I planted a fake smile that I knew she could see through. “Have you considered maybe I’m just a sucker for a pretty face? This might just be my Achilles’ heel.”

Her expression didn’t budge. “You’re not this reckless.”

I huffed humorlessly. “My father would beg to differ.” Sighing heavily, I added, “Ari, it’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll be smart about it.” I tilted my glass back and finished my drink, turning my gaze to the window.

“Elena García requested a meeting with you.”

I nodded absently.

“Off the books,” Aria added.

I glanced at her, one brow arched. Letting the silence hang for a moment, I considered it. I knew why she wanted to talk. With all things considered, it couldn’t hurt.

“Set it up, Ari,” I said, noticing the faint curve of her lips.

Aria nodded and returned to her tablet.

Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the horizon.

Being unreasonable wasn’t my usual style—she wasn’t wrong about that. I knew I was being stubborn about Ethan. The only way this could end was with a bang.

One that could cost me everything.